Nose Art
- Thread starter 3175375
- Start date
Ah, the Me 323 Gigant, Germany's largest production aircraft. They were terribly slow and made for sitting ducks for the flyers inside of them.
3175375
Senior Member
2nd Lt. Hugh Fletcher and his crew, and his dog mascot para-pup "Salvo", of the 322nd Bomb Group - 452nd Bomb Squadron, with their B-26B-4-MA Marauder (serial number 41-18054), DH-R, nicknamed "Jezabelle", photographed on 31st August 1943, after rainfall.
'Jezabelle' was built in the fall of 1942 as a Block 4 Marauder, which put her in a very early configuration indeed. She had the original short wing (65′ rather than the later 71′ wing introduced on Block 10 B-26s). She also had the original short fin and rudder, which was 20″ shorter than the final configuration. Block 4 was the first time package guns were mounted at the factory. 'Jezabelle' had the original “sharp” tail gun stinger with twin hand-held .50 machine guns. No tunnel guns were fitted on the production line, but were obviously added later.
Little is known about JEZABELLE’s combat career with the 322nd Bomb Group. We know she was one of the early ships assigned to the 452nd BS, and based at AAF 485, Great Saling, Essex, United Kingdom, which had been named “Andrews Field” in honor of Lt Gen Frank Andrews.
However, by April 1944, she had been re-assigned to the 3rd Combat Crew Replacement Center at Toome, Northern Ireland, about 15 miles NNE of Belfast. It’s believed she was broken up at Stansted, in February 1945, making her (at that time) one of the oldest USAAF ships left in Europe.
Photo: Authors Own Collection.
Image Repair & Colourisation - Nathan Howland @ HowdiColourWorks.
'Jezabelle' was built in the fall of 1942 as a Block 4 Marauder, which put her in a very early configuration indeed. She had the original short wing (65′ rather than the later 71′ wing introduced on Block 10 B-26s). She also had the original short fin and rudder, which was 20″ shorter than the final configuration. Block 4 was the first time package guns were mounted at the factory. 'Jezabelle' had the original “sharp” tail gun stinger with twin hand-held .50 machine guns. No tunnel guns were fitted on the production line, but were obviously added later.
Little is known about JEZABELLE’s combat career with the 322nd Bomb Group. We know she was one of the early ships assigned to the 452nd BS, and based at AAF 485, Great Saling, Essex, United Kingdom, which had been named “Andrews Field” in honor of Lt Gen Frank Andrews.
However, by April 1944, she had been re-assigned to the 3rd Combat Crew Replacement Center at Toome, Northern Ireland, about 15 miles NNE of Belfast. It’s believed she was broken up at Stansted, in February 1945, making her (at that time) one of the oldest USAAF ships left in Europe.
Photo: Authors Own Collection.
Image Repair & Colourisation - Nathan Howland @ HowdiColourWorks.
67newport
Old Man with a Hat
B-25, the most widely used of all WWII Bombers. They saw many different types of flying activities.
3175375
Senior Member
That B-25 used to be in Camarillo, CA. I can’t remember where it moved.
67newport
Old Man with a Hat
Purple Shaft??? Oooo, a Mopar B-29!!
67newport
Old Man with a Hat
B-25 Mitchell "The Ink Squirts" from the 41st Bombardment Group. The “Ink Squirts” was a cartoon in the base newspaper of the Sea Bees of the 94th Battalion, on Tarawa, 1944.
67newport
Old Man with a Hat
67newport
Old Man with a Hat
3175375
Senior Member
The Flying Fish Company Convair CV-880 "N8493H".
Initially built for TWA - Trans World Airlines in 1962 and registered as "N813TW" the plane wasn't taken up and was sold to Hughes Tool Company in May 1962 - keeping the registration number.
From August 1963 till January 1968 the Convair was leased to Northeast Airlines and re-registered as "N8493H". The plane kept this reg until her final days.
After return from lease Hughes Tool Company parked the jet for years at Marana until getting sold to American Jet Industries in July 1974 who converted the plane into a freighter. In 1981 the CV-880 was sold to The Flying Fish Company, a company which was set up to supply fresh fish from coastal areas to inland markets, and baptised the plane as 'el Pajaro' (as can be seen on the photo). After being in service for 4 years the CV-800 was sold to Charlotte Aircraft Corporation who sold the plane to Torco Oil Company in 1993.
The plane was withdrawn from service in 1999 and stored in MHV (Mojave) until being broken up in 2015.
Interesting fact : this particular CV-880 showed up in a 1995 music video of artist Dr. Dre : 'Keep their heads ringin'.
Mojave Air and Space Port 1986.
Photo by Paul Sanders via DFP's Plane Spotting and Photography
Initially built for TWA - Trans World Airlines in 1962 and registered as "N813TW" the plane wasn't taken up and was sold to Hughes Tool Company in May 1962 - keeping the registration number.
From August 1963 till January 1968 the Convair was leased to Northeast Airlines and re-registered as "N8493H". The plane kept this reg until her final days.
After return from lease Hughes Tool Company parked the jet for years at Marana until getting sold to American Jet Industries in July 1974 who converted the plane into a freighter. In 1981 the CV-880 was sold to The Flying Fish Company, a company which was set up to supply fresh fish from coastal areas to inland markets, and baptised the plane as 'el Pajaro' (as can be seen on the photo). After being in service for 4 years the CV-800 was sold to Charlotte Aircraft Corporation who sold the plane to Torco Oil Company in 1993.
The plane was withdrawn from service in 1999 and stored in MHV (Mojave) until being broken up in 2015.
Interesting fact : this particular CV-880 showed up in a 1995 music video of artist Dr. Dre : 'Keep their heads ringin'.
Mojave Air and Space Port 1986.
Photo by Paul Sanders via DFP's Plane Spotting and Photography
67newport
Old Man with a Hat
Similar threads
- Locked
